deflected; deflecting; deflects
: to turn (something) aside especially from a straight course or fixed direction
armor that deflects bullets
deflecting attention from the troubled economy
deflect a question
: to turn aside : deviate
the shot deflected off the goalie's shoulder pad
Examples of deflect in a Sentence
armor that can deflect bullets
The goalie deflected the ball with his hands.
The ball deflected off the goalie's shoulder.
They are trying to deflect attention from the troubled economy.
The blame was deflected from the chairman.
Recent Examples on the Web
In the early nineteen-eighties, while reporting for Time, Carter had been deflected from Irving (Swifty) Lazar’s famous Oscars party.
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Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
Now as Proctor’s MSP disciplinary trial board hearing wrapped up on Thursday, his family released a statement in support of the trooper and accused Read’s defense team of using Proctor to deflect from evidence.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
After the social media posts were put on display during the show — and Dina accused Carolina of deflecting accountability — Carolina began crying and had to step out of the taping entirely to take a moment for herself.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
However, the unassuming Arnold deflects credit to Murphy for last season’s success.
—John Perrotto, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
Now as Proctor’s MSP disciplinary trial board hearing wrapped up on Thursday, his family released a statement in support of the trooper and accused Read’s defense team of using Proctor to deflect from evidence.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
After the social media posts were put on display during the show — and Dina accused Carolina of deflecting accountability — Carolina began crying and had to step out of the taping entirely to take a moment for herself.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
However, the unassuming Arnold deflects credit to Murphy for last season’s success.
—John Perrotto, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deflect
verb
de·flect
di-ˈflekt 
: to turn or cause to turn aside (as from a course, direction, or position)
a bullet deflected by striking a wall
deflection
noun
-ˈflek-shən
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